Learning Opportunities

Cheryl Babin is a Designer of Professional Learning with the Alberta Regional Professional Development Consortia based in Calgary.  With experience in public, international and independent schools, Cheryl has held many roles including classroom and lead teacher, experiential learning coordinator, instructional coach, IB coordinator and workshop leader across North America and a sessional instructor for pre-service teachers. Cheryl currently designs and facilitates professional learning opportunities for teachers and leaders in the region. She believes strongly in building trusting relationships to co-create on-going, embedded experiences over time that best meet the needs of the learning community. Specific areas of interest and experience include making learning meaningful through critical thinking and inquiry-based pedagogy, developing conceptual understanding, student engaged assessment for learning, and the development of international-mindedness and global perspectives.

Lorelee is the Elementary Science Specialist with the Calgary Board of Education, bringing over 25 years of experience in public education. She has held various roles, including classroom teacher, literacy interventionist, resource teacher, and learning leader. In her current role, she is privileged to support teachers in implementing Alberta’s new science curriculum through collaborative learning experiences and professional development.

Lorelee is passionate about integrating Indigenous perspectives, concept-based learning, and inquiry-based pedagogy to create relevant, student-centered learning experiences. She is committed to supporting educators through meaningful, collaborative professional learning that empowers them to confidently engage students in rich, inquiry-driven science experiences.

Outside of work, Lorelee enjoys spending time with her husband, three grown (or nearly grown) children, and their energetic doodle, Kipling. She loves exploring new brunch spots, spending time outdoors, and traveling to experience new places and cultures.

Joe Madsen is a Science Specialist with the Calgary Board of Education with over 15 years of public education experiences and science programming expertise. He has held various roles including middle and high school science teacher, learning leader, and specialist. In his current position, Joe supports teachers from K-12 with new science curriculum implementation, task design, and assessment practices. As a passionate science advocate, Joe works to bring down barriers that prevent students and teachers from learning about and enjoying science. This includes encouraging the use of multiple perspectives in science discourse and encouraging educators to engage in the work of engaging students in authentic experiences.